The record amount of snowfall that has poured in the hills this year is expected to delay the opening of Manali – Leh Highway by its usual opening time. As per the authorities, this year hills have received heaviest of snowfalls in the last 5 years or so. This directly means that opening of Manali – Leh Highway for vehicular traffic is ought to be delayed in this year 2017. On the contrary there have been reports of summers arriving early as well this year but these predictions are only the means of interest & hope to us, mere mortals. It is weather and mountains gods which always have the last say when it comes to weather especially in Himalayas 🙂 🙂 …

BRO will commence the snow clearance operations on Manali – Leh Highway on March 1st 2017 despite the record snowfall. Some stretches around Rani Nalla, Beas Nalla, Rohtang Pass, Baralacha La pass have recorded about 20+ feet of snowfall this year and is expect to give tough time to brave BRO workers in the snow clearance operations. BRO has already started working on snow clearance in Lahaul Valley and some parts of Manali – Leh Highway. The stretches of Manali – Kothi, Sissu – Tandi, Tandi – Darcha, Thirot – Killar -Sansari, Thirot – Lot have been cleared of snow already on Manali – Leh Highway and Lahaul Valley. BRO is currently working to connect Udaipur to Keylong in Lahaul Valley. On the other side, due to warm temperatures in all over Himalayas, even high altitude lakes like Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri have not frozen in all glory and so does the famous Chadar trek over Zanskar river which also has cracks or gaps here and there. Just sums up craziness in weather 😥 😥 …

Manali Leh Highway Status 2017

The 474 KM long Manali – Leh Highway usually opens up by last week of May or first week of June. This year due to heavy amount of snowfall, I feel still the first week of June should be an optimistic time for at least unofficial opening of Manali – Leh Highway. I know that all the adventure junkies or lovers of Leh – Ladakh know what this means 😉 😉 … Though BRO set targets every year to open the Manali – Leh Highway early but only weather gods always have the last say in it. Eventually, it will all depends upon the weather and snow conditions in the months March / April when snow clearance operations are at peak. Please keep in mind that, when these snow highway gets opens, they need at least couple of weeks to settle or get stabilized. In the initial days, there are lot of snow slides / avalanches that happens because of faster melting of snow and disturbed balance/stability due to snow cutting operations. So, keep a hold on to your travel plans unless the Manali – Leh Highway stabilizes. Last thing you will want on your much awaited Ladakh trip is to get stranded on lonely stretches of freezing Manali – Leh Highway in early June.

As per the previous years, I will be starting this sticky post for Manali Leh Highway Status 2017 which so many adventure lovers await every year. However, instead of updating the main article here at DoW Blog, I will keep the updated progress in the DoW Community thread for better tracking of updates. A forum topic always helps in better tracking as well as collation of info over time in an organized manner. Hence, for all updates on Manali – Leh Highway status 2017 after this initial post, please stay tuned to the topic in DoW Community: Manali – Leh Highway Status 2017 | DoW Community Thread

Once the Manali Leh road opens, I may not be that active in frequently updating the status because these roads close and open frequently on daily basis. It is barely impossible for a single tiny soul like me to update this information on daily basis once the road gets open, so please request you to excuse me on that front and accept my apologies :)… However, if there is some major blockade of 3 – 4 days, I will try to surely update such information about Manali Leh Highway status 2017. That is another reason to keep yourself subscribed to the DoW Community thread for better tracking and lives updates by other community members.

I hope as per the last years, this year as well this article thread will be useful in planning your journey on Manali – Leh Highway and further to Leh – Ladakh.

UPDATE June 2016:
The Rohtang Pass Permit for Manali to Leh, Keylong (Lahaul) and Kaza (Spiti) is no longer being issued online. Now, online Rohtang Permit is available only to visit Rohtang Pass from Manali not to go beyond it. To go beyond Rohtang Pass, you can apply permit in SDM Office Manali which is also open half day on weekends now to issue permits to tourists. You can read the complete detailed process at the link: How to get Rohtang Pass Permit Online

Manali – Leh Highway Status = OPEN | Update Date: 1st June, 2017

MANALI, 1st June 2017: Manali – Leh Highway has been opened for small vehicles.

Manali – Leh Highway Status = CLOSED | Update Date: 25th Feb, 2017

MANALI, 25th Feb 2017: With the hills witnessing the heaviest snowfall in the past five years, opening of the Manali-Leh highway for vehicular traffic is expected to take more time than usual this season.
The Border Roads Organization (BRO) has meanwhile planned to start the snow clearing operation on the highway from Manali from March 1.
Many stretches, especially near Rohtang and Baralacha pass, received over 20ft of snow. The organization had airlifted its personnel including technicians from Manali and dropped them in Lahaul valley in three sorties. These days, the organization is working to clear snow from about 80km stretch of the highway in Lahaul valley.
“Though it depends on weather conditions, we target to officially start the snow clearing operation from Manali-Leh highway till Sarchu from March 1,” said BRO commander Colonel Arvind Awasthi.
Awasthi said snowfall was still continuing along the highway and many stretches were completely covered in a thick blanket of snow. “We are in regular contact with snow and avalanche study establishment (SASE) to get weather updates. If it’s snowing continuously, we won’t spend time on clearing roads unnecessarily.”
Importantly, BRO has kept many stretches of the highway in populated areas open despite heavy snowfall. Awasthi said snow from Manali-Kothi, Sissu-Tandi, Tandi-Darcha, Thirot-Killar-Sansari, Thirot-Lot stretches has been removed and now work is on to connect Udaipur with Keylong.
Of the 474km stretch of Manali-Leh highway, 222km stretch till Sarchu received more snow, posing a challenge to BRO to resume traffic. “Our task is to clear snow till Sarchu. We carried out five sorties by chopper and lifted our personnel at Stingri and Udaipur helipads to speed up snow clearance work in Lahaul valley. We airlifted and brought back Lahaul residents, who were in emergency, to Manali in our return flights.”
Manali-Leh highway opens for traffic in May end or first week of June every year. According to sources, it would be very difficult to clear snow from Rahni Nullah, Beas Nullah, Chumbak Mor, Rakshi Dhank and Baralacha areas.
BRO personnel will have to work hard to open the highway within time this season. Though many BRO personnel have lost their lives during opening of the road in the past, the organization is still working even during snowfall to keep Lahaul roads open for public, sources said.

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603 Comments

Hi
Myself and 3 of my friends are planning a bike trip to cover manali – leh -manali. ( 2 bikes with pillion) The itinerary is below. Tell us whether it is feasible.

June 3 manali to sarchu
June 4 sarchu to leh
June 5 Leh to hanle
June 6 hanle – Umlingla – tsomorri
June 7 Tsomorri to Pangong
June 8 pangong to Nubra
June 9 Nubra to Leh
June 10 Leh to sarchu
June 11 sarchu to manali

1. Is hanle – Umlingla – tsomorri possible ? in one day
2. tsomorri to pangong in one day possible?
3. should i have buffer days???
4. We are first time riders in this route

Is this schedule ok or should i change the places – routes – and dates tooo????

All we came to know that BRO will soon begin the operations of road clearance around first week of March. Snow is less but then it does pour in at times in March/April too. So, I am not expecting highways to open before mid of May

Thanks Dheeraj. I hope western disturbance has subsided by now and I don’t see any major WD in next few days as per the weather update. Do you have any news when the snow clearance operation on Manali to Leh highway is going to start ?

I am eagely looking for the manali leh 2018 thread that you start every year.

Hi Dheeraj ,
I am all set for Manali Leh trip by HRTC bus on June 19th this year. The road should open by 1st week of june or at max by 10th June so as to allow HRTC to resume the service by the time I go. In 2016 there was less snowfall in himalayas and so BRO started snow clearance operation in January itself for Manali to Rohtang stretch.

Do you have any update on the amount of snow and the clearance operation this year till now ?

Snow clearance operations will start in March only in full swing. Even last year though they started but it remained on blocked state for many days as there was snowfall after that and inclement weather.

Hi Dheeraj ,
It is already in last week of October and still the road from Kargil to Padum via Penzi La is open. Can we plan zanskar trip in Middle of October returning back to Kargil by 20th October ? I am planning wither Leh or Zanskar next year not decided yet. If there is sudden snowfall and road closes at Penzi la, will there be BRO support in October to clear the road or people will be struck for the entire season ?

Nilavra, the snowfall hasn’t really poured this year up to now. It does not mean it is safe to travel on these routes and there is a high risk always associated like a sudden change in weather and things turning up ugly. I will not recommend any trans-Himalayan trip beyond mid of October and will advise against this one too.

Hi Dheeraj
Do we need to apply for inner line permit for pangong tso to tso moriri direct route via chusul tsaga la ? Secondly i heard there is no guarantee that permit can be obtained for thus route ? Even if petmit is given tourists may be turned back from chusul by army checkpost.Is that true? I read your article on thus route, road condition is very bad before tsaga la. I will travel solo with 4 wheeler. Do you advise this ? Do people take this route these days or still remains unknown ? I am eager to know the feasibility to complete tge journey on this route keeping road condition and permit in mind.please reply

Just replied, please use Q&A section to keep a track of all your replies and questions. Helps me have the context too. It is also now integrated with every article for easy access to post dedicated series of questions and replies.

Hi Dheeraj ,
One question…Wari La opens in June middle ? I am set for Leh trip next June and planning to come from Nubra to Pangong via Wari la around 20th June. Will the pass be open that time ? Somebody says it opens in July where some other says it opens in June.

Yes, you will have to apply the direct route permit in DC office. Yes, there is no guarantee. Recently I have not heard of any such incident but all depends upon the current security situation of denial or permit or sending tourist back from checkpoint. As you are familiar with road conditions, you should be OK. There will be sand on the dirt track up to Tsaga La, so be careful not to get stuck. Carry the sufficient things linke: 40 Must Have Things to Carry on Ladakh Self Drive Trip. Many people take this route now days. Though the numbers will be less but not completely desolate.

Thanks Dheeraj. I will travel solo but not driving myself. I will take a 4*4 from leh taxi union for a 3N/4D trip from Leh to Pangong to Hanle to Tso moriri to Leh and they quoted me 24000 INR for the same. Hope this is alright.

One more thing…I am planning for next June middle. Do we need to book accommodation in advance for places like Pangong, Tso moriri, Hanle ? Isn’t it possible to get accommodation on spot at Korzok village or at Hanle or at Spagmik ? May not be tents but guest house/hotels or home stay type accommodations ?

Hi Dheeraj ,
I contacted quite a few drivers listed in your site as Ladakh taxi drivers and except Rigzin and very few almost all of them either have Xylo or Innova. It seems that these two vehicles are most popular in Ladakh and they said all vehicles are 4X2 in leh, none of them is 4X4 including Rigzin’s scorpio which is 4X2.

All the drivers claim that they have crossed Wari la and Shyok route with innova or xylo without any issues. I do not see much option apart from these two vehicles.

What is your suggestion on wari la or Shyok in either innova or xylo when all the drivers say it is very much possible ?

Choice between Xylo and Innova, what do you suggest keeping in mind positive and negative of both the cars ?

If you are taking these taxis, there will not be any issues. I will suggest Xylo over Innova especially for the Shyok route. And yes, it is very very much doable in 4×2 and as they said, they do it all the time.

Day 1 : Leh to Diskit
Day 2 : Visit Turtuk and back to Diskit
Day 3 : start early morning …Visit Sumur and Panamik and go to Pangong Tso via Wari La. I know it will be a very long day, if not possible stay somewhere in between but I do not want to do it via shyok route as I want to cross Chang La.

Day 4 : Reach Pangong tso if not possible on Day 3
Day 5 : Pangong Tso to Hanle
Day 6 : Hanle to Tso Moriri
Day 7 : Tso moriri to Leh via Chumathang

I have contacted several drivers and they quoted me between 36000 INR/38000 INR for these 7 days…Rigzin quoted 38000 INR.

However one driver quoted me 30000 INR for my 7 days trip. I am now confused how cum the cost can be so lower compared to what other drivers are giving…

As far as I know, different drivers offer different discounts but most follow the taxi union fee structure. Some drivers work outside the Taxi union, of course without letting them know and depending on the current business or need of money, they may opt to offer less prices from their own shares and make some but less money from the tour but those working closely with taxi union will not offer such discounts.

I have removed the name of the driver from your post so that no trouble gets to him, if by chance.

Hi Dheeraj ,
Thanks for your reply. All the drivers I have contacted said Pangong Tso to Hanle via chusul Tsaga la has become quite popular in last couple of years and they have traveled many times that route in 2016/2017 with tourists. Even at the time of Indo-China tension in July-August this year, Army have allowed that route.

They also mentioned Wari la or shyok both the routes are in good shape compared to what happened to be couple of years before and they are taking several tourists via shyok route nowadays.

One thing…I will definitely try to hire a very good driver for sure at the same time budget is also a big thing…..I know Rigzin is very famous there…

Do you think Rigzin’s driving skill will make a difference in my itinerary that other drivers can’t provide ?

Another thing Dheeraj ,
If I hire a driver who work outside ladakh taxi union without letting them know and gives me good deal, do you see any other legal issues that the tour can be spoiled by the problems created by taxi union people ?

May or may not, Depends upon the arrangement he has made and counter the checkpoints. Mostly it is OK and will say worth a shot because if you make it, you save money and the driver who is in dire need gets it. Else you get another taxi in case there is any issue. I will say to take the chance.

Dheeraj ,
While choosing drivers do you think we need to give importance on rapport between drives and checkpost people and select driver who has good relationship even if the driver claims much more money than the others considering that chusul – man-merak checkpost people might nor send back the driver because of good relationship.

No, no such kind of arrangement exists between rapport of driver and checkpoint people. If army thinks it is unsafe to travel during that time due to security reasons, they will not allow you to pass through.

Hi Dheeraj ,
I am going for Spiti trip starting from Manali this Sunday. How is the weather now and what about the weather prediction in coming days ? Is there any serious warning of bad weather in coming days ?

If landslide happens on the road from Manali to kaza how soon does BRO clear the road ? Will they do it in a day or two ?

If there is any serious weather prediction, I may postpone the trip by a week.

Hi Dheeraj ,
I have just returned back from a wonderful trip to Spiti starting from Manali, Kaza via Kunzum La, explore every corner at Kaza , went to Nako Lake and then back to Manali via Kunzum la. I have already been twice in Kinnaur so did not go that route this time while returning, I went to Chandrataal at the last leg of my tour so I had to return back to Manali.

Many thanks for your help in planning a very good itinerary.

I want to go to Leh next year October to/from Delhi by flight. Is it possible to visit Nubra, Pangong, Tso moriri including Hanle following Pangong tso to Tso moriri route from October 15th to October 25th considering snow fall in mind ? ALl routes will be open that time ?

What is the accommodation option at Tso moriri that time of the year ?

Regarding your trip to Ladakh in October, the route remains open all around the year in Ladakh barring few days of heavy snowfall. Accommodation at Tso Moriri and Pangong Tso will be wrapped up by late September and mid-October respectively. Homestays remain available all around the year or you can stay either at Chumathang for Tso Moriri OR Tangtse for Pangong Tso.

Hi Dheeraj ,
Thanks for your response. Sure, I will put up a short tale of my tour to spiti valley. Another thing…

If I plan for Ladakh tour next June middle reaching Leh from Delhi by HRTC bus , I know this is a very tedious journey but I will manage.
My question is…Monsoon sets in from Mid june in himalayas, if I go from Manali to Leh on 20th June, there may be possibilities of landslide…I will have 2 days of buffer at hand…have you ever seen or heard any road blockage for continuous 3/4 days in June ?

HRTC says they run buses from Keylong to Leh subject to weather condition. I know rains are inevitable around 20th June time. Don’t they run buses if it rains ?

My bad, I thought you will be taking tourist buses to enjoy stops enroute and yes, HRTC started early June this year. I have heard 3-4 days of blockade very very few times in last 8 years after the road stabilizes by mid-June. But 1-2 days happen all the time and can happen any day. So, be prepared for it.

We are planning to return from Leh to Manali with a night stay at Sarchu in september end. Earlier we planned to return via Srinagar but seeing the recent tension, we decided to return via Manali. Please advice on the route and getting permits for Rohtang pass.

Hello Dheeraj ji,
Finally September has come, we are on the verge of final bookings for ladakh, just wanted to enquire if is it safe to travel now considering the condition of valley, landslides and tension with china, travel agencies are saying that we need to sign undertaking form first,so lil tensed, we are planning to fly to srinagar on 16th morning, if you reply positively then we will go ahead with bookings else will cancel our program.

Hello Dheeraj,
We are planning to visit Manali today eve or tmrw early morning by road, What do you suggest in terms of road clearance, heavy rainfall, any precautions to keep in mind or anything else that we should know ?

Just need your assistance for ladakh visit. Actually I am traveling to ladakh on 1st September 2017. I am little confused regarding the weather conditions in September. As this year all weathers are coming early so leh manali route will be fine in September. Because in September ladakh temperature is start decrease.

Hi Dheeraj ,
I am doing Spiti circuit trip September last week starting from Shimla and ending at Manali. All set for the tour. However we have buffer time at hand so if all goes fine I am planning to have the manali leh journey…just the journey I want and back to manali….will plan Leh tour later….

Is it possible to get shared cab from Manali to Leh september end ? I know shared cab runs from manali to reach Leh in a single day starting at 3 AM and reaching Leh at 9 PM same day.

Hi Dheeraj,
Many thanks for your reply. as I am going to Spiti circuit trip just want to know about Lingti valley ? exactly where this is located from Kaza ? Lallung/Demul is in Lingti valley or it is somwething different ? I see on google map that Lingti village comes on the way to Sichlling from kaza.

We are a group of 7 people starting from srinagar on 28th and going to leh and our trip lasts till 6th August.
Is it a good time to visit (late question, but asking) and what we need to be prepared for?
Also, many of us are vegetarians, any specific things to take care ?

Eswar, please read: It is monsoon time in general up there in North and at some parts of Manali – Leh Highway (like before Baralacha La) and Srinagar – Leh Highway (like before Kargil) you might need to face monsoon hassles but once you get closer to Ladakh, then Ladakh being rain shadow region is least affected by monsoon rains. Landslides or slush or road blocks are pretty common in the month of monsoons but these landslides are cleared in a day or two unless there is a very major one. Having said that, rains does reach Ladakh nowadays but in general, it is overcast days or in form of light drizzles. I will suggest you also read my article on 10 Tips for a Trip to Ladakh in Monsoons.

We started from Delhi on Friday late night and reached Manali on Saturday evening. We started for Leh from Manali on Sunday early morning however were not able to make it till Leh till late night since we wasted good 4 hrs in making our own food midway Hence had to stay for the night at Pang.

Road Condition:

Stretch in between Rohtang towards Kelong for approx 10 kms is in pathetic condition however manageable. There was a land slide at Rohtang however we were lucky enough that it was cleared within 30 mints with the help of truck drivers, localites and some travellers like us.

It’s very good after Keylong up till zing Zing Bar and again an another stretch of approx 35 kms is total raw with an average speed of less than 10 kmph after Barlacha La until Sarchu.

Road condition after Sarchu was pretty decent but a very bumpy ride however the last stretch for 35 kms before Pang was a nightmare.

Once you hit Pang, it’s a BLOOM right up till Leh.

We were lucky enough of not getting hit by AMP and had a ball throughout our trip.

Do visit to Nubra Valley, Hunder and Turtuk. Road condition at Changla is a nightmare for approx 25 kms so do ensure to start early morning in order to avoid unnecessary traffic.

My personal thoughts ” You can easily make it with a Fantastic Hatch like Baleno if you actually know how to drive in mountains and rough terrain else don’t even think of it”

Hi Dheeraj
I understand manali leh should be avoided in october. Manali keylong pangi valley is possible october 15 to 22 keeping snowfall at rohtang in mind ? My friend wants to go. Does BRO work till october end to clear snow at rohtang if something happens..

Can you please update the latest status. We are planning to drive from Manali to Leh starting 21st July on Rented Bikes.
1. Is there any issue going on with rented bikes?
2. How is the road condition?
3. Can you please suggest good Bike rental agencies in Leh.

Sreelal, you can check the forum community thread linked in the article for the latest updates on Manali – Leh Highway including the road conditions. Manali rental bikes are allowed only to reach Leh and come back. You can read: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2017-18

Sharing our experience of LEH LADAKH we did in the first week of July. This forum has been a saviour in terms of updates and tips to prepare ourselves for our trip and hence giving back a few of our experiences to help share information to this community

Unlike the conventional Srinagar – LEH or Manali – LEH route, we landed in LEH owing to the recent bike rental issues and we used to do return journeys from LEH to the various destinations

ACCLIMATIZATION

The forum highlights the need to start the trip from Srinagar for better acclimatization and AMS is for real. Despite reading a lot about it, we did get hit by AMS with one our buddies collapsing in LEH city on the first day and another with a severe nausea. Even though we cannot predict who maybe hit, be prepared. We spend a good two days in LEH before we set out for higher peaks and even on the fourth day at pangong, most of us were sleepless due to AMS.

TIP:
– Diamox has no side effects as per the pharmaceuticals. Take it in the morning and evening for 3 days
– You can buy light weight oxygen sprays at the pharmaceuticals. Costs 600 INR and if returned without use or damage, you get a refund of 500. This being a good deal, carry one per person.

RIDE TIME

Ensure you ride in the morning and conclude by evening. When you set out as a team, it;s difficult to get everyone to get to start early morning, but this is very important. Post noon, the snow melts and the streams on the roads gets difficult and dangerous.

INNERLINE PERMITS

We got it done through an agency “Camps of Ladakh”. It will cost you 400 INR per person + plus 20 INR per day for the number of days you need the permit. The agency may charge you an additional 200, but its worth it to avoid the delays you can encounter at the DC office.

TIMING OF YOUR TRIP

JULY is monsoons in LEH and we were hit by decent rains on the first two days. Our trip to CHangla pass was a nightmare.We were hit by some bad roads to begin with, drenched in rain during the ascend to CHangla and half way through when we were wet and our hands frozen, we witnessed snow. Snow is good to view from outside a window, but not while you’re riding a bike after already being drenched in the rain. TO top it up, Less oxygen and the worst of roads. If you want to witness snow, June end and July maybe a good time, but be prepared for it

BIKES

We used the enfield classic 350 CCs. It does fairly well for a solo rider. But with pillion, its not recommended. We did see a couple of riders in Kharu, returning from Changla as they could not climb with a pillion. Same goes for another team who could not do it in Khardungla due to slush and having a pillion meant they had to return.

A 500 CC Classic is best suited and it does outstandingly well. We hired one on the last days of our trip and the experience was too good with it.

GEAR

Its important that we get our gear such as jackets, helmets, boots etc. LEH market is costly, and only sells duplicate stuff (copies of original brands). We had purchased two water proof gloves owing to rain, and both were soaking wet when we ascended changla. Invest on a good pair of gloves. Buy your gear from where you;re heading from and avoid the LEH market. Gum boots maybe purchased from Moti Market and don’t buy it from the main LEH market. Its atleast 2 times more pricey in the LEH market.

PUNCTURE KITS / TOOLS

Its very important that we carry a puncture kit/ spare tubes and have some hands on experience in changing tyres. I had to do a 30 km ride from rumtse to Upshi when my tyre went flat. Having no other option, i had to ride with a flat front tyre to be able to fix it in the wee hours of the evening.

If you’re riding in rain, chances are that, the spark plugs may get damp in the enfields and hence ensure you have the tools and a bit of knowledge on cleaning and re-fitting it again. One of our bike broke down after changla pass and we had to leave it there for a day to be able to fix it as we did not have the knowledge or the tools. Most breakdowns are due to damp spark plugs

FOOD

If you’re a non veg eater, try waswan planet in the LEH market, probably one of the very few joints which serves halal non veg food. Carry snickers or other energy bars.

ROAD CONDITIONS

LEH – PANGONG
Until Kharu, it is very good roads. From Kharu, 10-15 Kms of bad roads (mud road). A steep climb of maybe a km through really bad mud roads, and very difficult to climb with a pillion. After that good roads for about 10-20 kms. Post that, its the worst of roads to CHangla top, with small craters make it a very bumpy ride. Descend from Changla is not good as well. But once the descend is done, you get good roads ahead. After Durbuk town until Pangong, enjoy BRO at its best. Amazing views and amazing road ahead

LEH – KHARDUNGLA

The last 10-15 kms is a nightmare. There was literraly no road and it was a very risky ride especially when you have oncoming traffic.

LEH – PANG

Beautiful road and one to experience. The ride across Mooray plains on the LEH – Manali highway was breathtaking

LE – MAGENTIC HILL/SANGAM

Beautiful road

ACCOMODATION

LEH – Try MESNER Hotel cheap and good, Jimmy’s guest house was also cheap and good
PANGONG – Get early and book the tents while you are at Pangong. Avoid online booking. Tents maybe 3 times cheaper if you go to pangong and do a direct booking
PANG – very few tents and hence if you have a halt over, ensure you reach early and book your spots/tent
DURBUK – En route to pangong has a few home stays. Check with the dhaabwalas in Durbuk for contacts

NETWORK – Use BSNL please. Airtle only shows you coverage and once in a blue moon you’d be able to make a call with an Airtel connection in LEH

I am planning to travel via road(SUV) from Chandigarh to Leh September last week. Things I wanted to check?
1) How will be the weather conditions during that time? Is it advisable to travel via road with family.
2) Do you recommend us to visit Leh/Ladakh during that. We will be coming from Dubai.
3) I’ve read the blogs, where they says that you are not allowed to use your vehicle for sight seeing in Ladakh as you need to take a local taxi. Is it true?
4) Should we expect rains, if yes, is it gonna be drizzling or the real thunderstorm?
5) Any key places you think its difficult for us to visit that time?
6) Do you advise us to take flight instead of moving via road?
7) Any other suggestions?

1. Last week of September is good time nowadays. It will get cold at night and morning or in case it snows, else in day time it is fine. LEss options of stay are available.
2. Leh-Ladakh will have beautiful colors on offer during this time of the year. Again night and morning will be cold at high altitude places but bearable.
3. No it is not true, you can use your private vehicle but cannot use outside rented taxi or outside rented self drive car. Private cars do not have any issues.
4. September end does not have much rains. There may be occasional spell if at all but not like a monsoon.
5. You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here

Thanks Dheeraj, for the quick reply.
Regarding your #3, this mean that I can hire my private taxi with Driver from Chandigarh or Delhi or use the same for travelling with and around LEH? or this is not the case? Sorry if I sound stupid !

Aadish, you can just use to take it up to Leh and park it in hotel and then come back in the same car from Leh back home. However, for any kind of sightseeing in around Leh or other places in Ladakh, you should not use it.

It is monsoon time in general up there in North and at some parts of Manali – Leh Highway (like before Baralacha La) and Srinagar – Leh Highway (like before Kargil) you might need to face monsoon hassles but once you get closer to Ladakh, then Ladakh being rain shadow region is least affected by monsoon rains. Having said that, rains does reach Ladakh nowadays but in general, it is overcast days or in form of light drizzles. I will suggest you refer: 10 Tips for a Trip to Ladakh in Monsoons

Hey Dheeraj
I am planning to go manali leh route on 12 july…been there 2times have seen much snowfall last year and 2015 all the way till leh
But m hearing that there is not much snow or as such weather like that was use to be in leh/nubra/pangong lake
Is that true..??

First of all, I just want to say good job and thank you for maintaining this blog as it helps a lot of people when traveling to Leh! The info here had been useful to me and my friends when we went to Leh in August last year.. However, we were not able to ride on the HRTC Delhi-Leh bus as originally planned because the guy at the ISBT counter wasnt sure if it was operational. We ended up taking the bus to Manali instead which was the start of our unexpected journey. I have written our experience here: https://ilocanaadventures.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/the-long-road-to-ladakh-part-2/.
Can anyone confirm here whether the buses are operational? and where can we book it, if not available online? One guy in another forum experienced the same thing, seems like some people at ISBT are not aware. 😀

I miss Leh so much and envy people here who are going there this year! Enjoy the beauty of Ladakh!!

Thank you so much, Marianne, it was very nice reading your experience. It is unfortunate that the guy present did not have knowledge of it but HRTC bus from Delhi to Leh does run and quite a few of my friends have done the trip with it.

I am planning to go leh ladakh with my 2 friends. we have booked self driven diesel vehicles from delhi.
On 7 july we will leave from Delhi and hope reach manali early morning. On Saturday noon we will leave for jispa. I have few concern related to permit. would like to know what all permits we required . I have heard about permit in rohtang n leh but can you please explain me in detailed .As we are going leh ladakh so should we pay for permit for rohtng pass or permit beyond rohtang . i am bit confused about it . Also we will have delhi registered self driven vehicle .can we get permit online if not then on 8 we have second Saturday dm offices will be closed.Please help me out .

yes you have to take Rohtang pass permit, easily available online check the link : http://admis.hp.nic.in/ngtkullu , you just have to enter the vehicle information and your information, fees for the permit is 50 INR. you also have to pay green tax you can pay that either online on the same link mentioned above or you can also pay that directly at Manali. Fees for the green tax is 200 INR. better to pay online avoid being in queue.

Sachin, you will need to apply for Beyond Rohtang Pass permit of Rs 50 to cross Rohtang Pass and reach Jispa. Once in Leh, you need to apply for Inner Line Permits at DC Office in Leh. Office might be closed on Second Saturday in Leh but you can get Beyond Rohtang Pass permit online: admis.hp.nic.in/ngtkullu

We will reach Manali on June 01 and we are planning to visit Rohtang on July 02 , Sunday.
I need to know , how soon we shd start from Manali on Sunday to avoid traffic and is it hard to drive our own car rather to hire local taxi as I already got online permit for Rohtang pass.

Sorry for the delay in reply, I am sure you must be in Manali now and have found your way to it. Still, you can drive your own car if you have the permit and should leave as early in morning as possible to avoid traffic.

Hi Dheeraj,
First of all thank you for this portal, I really appreciate your passion and salute to you. I am travelling to Leh via Manali on 2nd Jul 2017 with 3 friends. I have few queries if you can answered I will be highly obliged.

1. Mobile Connectivity: I have one BSNL prepaid and one Postpaid Airtel sim will it work. Special prepaid BSNL ?
2. Is it required to have Car snow chains ? If yes can we get it from Manali ?
3. From where we can get Leh inline permit. Is it possible to get it online.
4. My car is Creta Diesel 1600 CC. I guess it will work.

1. No prepaid connections work in Ladakh from outside J&K. Postpaid Airtel will work but Airtel does not have much coverage except around Leh.
2. No snow chains required in season time of summers.
3. Apply the permit online and pay the fee to get it stamped at DC office in Leh or Touris Info Center in Leh. Refer: Ladakh Inner Line Permits Available Online
4. Creta has a good GC, it shall be fine.

I am travelling from Delhi to Leh in private diesel vehicle and starting on 2nd July. Plan is to start drive from Manali on Tue 4th July towards Leh but I am confused with no permit issued on Tue.

My questions

1) Does it mean that we cannot travel beyond Rohtang on Tue ? If we can, when can I apply for online permit ?

2) Do I need to pay only congestion charge of 50 Rs. Or I need to pay in total 550 Rs.

3) if I fail to get permit online, where in Manali I can get permit done ? I understand that we don’t have any fix quota for Beyond Rohtang permit so it should be easy to get on Monday or is it quiet a queue for that as well.

1. AFAIK, the Tuesday restriction is only for the people going to Rohtang Pass only and not to people going Beyond it. Try to applu for the permit, you should be able to get it.
2. You just need to pay fr Beyond Rohtang Pass permit Rs 50
3. You can try at SDM Office in Manali to get the permit done for Beyond Rohtang Pass inc ase you do not get it online. It opens 5 days in advance, so start trying 🙂

In an update on getting the “beyond rohtang pass” permits, mentions June 2016. Whereas in a other thread I read that it’s available online this year on the govt. Ngt website. Pls confirm if that was last year that the permits were not available online, and not a typo.
(2016 in place of 2017) 🙂 hope they are available online this year. Just 40 days remaining for my trip. Last time in 2015, I didn’t face any issue with permits for my Spiti trip.

First of all, let me thank you for maintaining such a huge informative blog. You are really helping all the travelers out there! I am leaving on 24th June from Chandigarh and have a couple of questions for you –

1. I wanted to ask how many major water crossings are there in the way and their location, so that I could plan accordingly?
2. Considering the recent rains in Manali regions, till what point i will experience the rains in between Manali to Leh? I mean from where the rain shadow region starts?
3. Approximately how much food and accommodation would cost for 2 people (14 days trip)?

The water crossings cannot be predicted but still, I will say you may end up with 4-5 ones. The majority of violent ones are now taken care by the bridges on Manali – Leh Highway. You can experience rains up to Baralacha La pass post which majority is rain shadow. For food and stay at average places, you may end up paying about 1200 per day per person.

Hi Dheeraj, is there any issue going on with online permit availability for beyond rohtang pass, as I applied for it and it’s telling, pass not further available as qouta fulfilled and some applications are under process. I know it has limit for vehicles. So is it available till the limit or they are giving any leverage ?
Else what other options are available for permits ?

Beyond Rohtang Permit is given two days in advance and permit allocation starts at 12 PM. So, please check your dates. I do not think that daily permit quota of 800 permits for Beyond Rohtang Permit ever got in effect this season.

I have returned today from leh today itself
just want to share my itenerary

9th june evening – from delhi to chandigarh, stayed at friend’s place

10th june 8am- chandigarh to manali
heavy traffic in manali, very frustrating
reached manali at 6.30 pm, was able to check in the hotel (already booked) at 8.30 pm

11th june 4 am – manali to sarchu
best travel experience of my life till date.
If you leave at 3.45 or 4 am from manali then you will find normal traffic till rohtang pass otherwise after that भगवान ही मालिक है
road from manali to jispa is jaw droppingly awesome, but but but from jispa to sarchu it is very bad, it’s better to stay at jispa rather than sarchu and start early morning from jispa to leh , moreover you get better staying options at jispa

12th june – sarchu to leh
sarchu to pang road is extremely average, but from pang to leh again best road with great scenic views,great experience

12th to 14th – stayed at leh local, pangong etc-

During the return I decided to taked leh- srinagar highway. No issued related to curfews, permissions etc- very normal
15th june – leh to sonamarg
best roads from leh to drass, beyond drass to sonamarg it is hell

16th june – sonamarg to jalandhar
first 2/3 of the journey is bad due to traffic in srinagar, road from srinagar to udhampur is hell, beyond that roads are good as you expect from a national highway

17th june – Will travel from jalandhar to delhi( home)

All of this journey was done in a hatchback ( maruti suzuki baleno)
In the whole journey it got it under the belly around 10-15 times, but no issues occured and successfully returned. Being a petrol car overall fuel costed me around 10k

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